The Tale Of Aqhat

Tremper Longman III and Peter E. Enns edit this collection of 148 articles by over 90 contributors on Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ruth and Esther.

Silhouettes of Scripture investigates biblical texts by a nuanced methodology that fuses the contextual approach with elements of form-criticism, featuring discussions rooted in triggers and convergences. This methodologically constructive work investigates well-known examples through fresh eyes and new ones with thought-provoking results.

In this newly revised and expanded second edition, Victor Matthews and Don Benjamin have gathered key ancient documents from Eastern Mediterranean traditions that provide a literary backdrop for Old Testament writings.

Ugaritic ritual texts are varied and, by nature, problematic. But another source for ritual understanding is found in the narrative writings of Ugarit--namely, its myths and legends. Ritual texts in myths were not simply textual inserts but an integral part of the narrative. This present study is devoted to the examination of the way that ritual functions within the context of these stories.

Warfare exerts a magnetic power, even a terrible attraction, in its emphasis on glory, honor, and duty. In order to face the terror of war, it is necessary to face how our biblical traditions have made it attractive -- even alluring. In this book Mark Smith undertakes an extensive exploration of "poetic heroes" across a number of ancient cultures in order to understand the attitudes of those cultures toward war and warriors. Smith examines the Iliad and the Gilgamesh; Ugaritic poems commemorating Baal, Aqhat, and the Rephaim; and early biblical poetry, including the battle hymn of Judges 5 and the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan in 2 Samuel 1. Smith's Poetic Heroes analyzes the importance of heroic poetry in early Israel and its disappearance after the time of David, building on several strands of scholarship in archaeological research, poetic analysis, and cultural reconstruction.

This volume honors Dennis G. Pardee, Henry Crown Professor of Hebrew Studies in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago and one of the preeminent experts in Northwest Semitic languages and literatures, particularly Ugaritic studies. The thirty-seven essays by colleagues and former students reflect the wide range of Professor Pardee's research interests and include, among other topics, new readings of inscriptions, studies of poetic structure, and investigations of Late Bronze Age society.